Alternators are electromechanical devices that convert mechanical energy to alternating current. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view, taken along the longitudinal axis of a rotor assembly shaft 130, of an exemplary alternator 100 as is known in the art. Referring to FIG. 1, the exemplary alternator 100 may comprise, as an example, a drive end 101, a rear end 102, sides 103, conventional main air flow paths 104, a drive end fan 110, a drive end bearing 120, a rotor assembly shaft 130, stator windings 140, rectifiers 150, and a front housing face 160, among other things. The front housing face 160 may comprise conventional fins 161, for example.
The rotor assembly shaft 130 may be connected with, for instance, a pulley, not shown, that may be driven by the engine of a motor vehicle, also not shown. The drive end fan 110 may be mounted on the shaft 130, for rotation with the shaft 130, at the drive end 101. Rotation of the drive end fan 110 pulls air through the alternator 100 along the conventional main air flow paths 104 for cooling the components of the alternator 100. Ambient temperature air enters the alternator 100 at the rear end 102 and is expelled from the sides 103 at the drive end 101 of the alternator 100 by the drive end fan 110.
More specifically, the air entering the alternator 100 at the rear end 102 flows adjacent to the rectifiers 150, the stator windings 140 and the drive end bearing 120 along the conventional main air flow paths 104. As the ambient temperature air is pulled adjacent to the rectifiers 150, heat from the rectifiers is transferred to the air flow, which cools the rectifiers 150. The rectifier-warmed air flow may then be pulled adjacent to the stator windings 140, where additional heat is transferred to the air flow, thereby cooling the stator windings 140. The stator winding and rectifier-warmed air flow may then be pulled adjacent to the drive end bearing 120, where additional heat is transferred to the air flow via conventional fins 161 of a front housing face 160. The drive end bearing, stator winding and rectifier-warmed air flow may then be expelled from the sides 103 at the drive end 101 of the alternator 100 by the drive end fan 110.
Current conventional main air flow paths 104 in alternators 100 have limited effectiveness cooling the drive end bearing 120 due to the air flowing over the conventional fins 105 being pre-heated by the rectifiers 150 and stator windings 140. The ineffective cooling of the drive end bearing 120 reduces the life of the drive end bearing 120.
As such, there is a need for providing improved systems and methods for cooling a drive end bearing 120 in an alternator 100.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.